


And Only Space Stood Between Them

by Bloodsbane



Category: Oban Star-Racers
Genre: F/M, interplanetary racing Championship, let's go to Nourasia~!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-11 00:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1166412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloodsbane/pseuds/Bloodsbane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the coming of the interplanetary racing Championships, Eva finally has a chance to reunite with Aikka, prince of the Nourasian kingdoms. But how will Don Wei ever allow his daughter to participate in the same competition that took the life of his beloved Maya, an incident which already shattered their family once? And if Eva does manage to get to Nourasia, dealing with conflicted feelings over her attraction to Aikka and lingering loyalties to a dear old friend may prove to be a bigger challenge than a simple racing competition.</p><p>(ON INDEFINITE HIATUS, sorry ;m;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Small Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I recently got my girlfriend to watch Oban Star-Racers with me, a series I've loved since I was a kid, but never had anyone who'd seen it to share it with. We finished it yesterday and both loved it, so of course the urge to write a story has consumed my very soul, and for once I was motivated enough to get something done! Hopefully I'll be able to regularly update this, since (in my mind at least) it's shaping up to be a decently long story, and I have very little of it planned, which is something I don't often do! We'll see how it all turns out~

The young woman was doing her homework when the light of her interstellar-holocam started blinking, outlining the dark of her room in a faint red light. The girl instantly kicked the wall behind her desk, rolling away on her chair and twisting across the room, a grin brightening her face. She welcomed this blessed distraction from her tedious work – math was her strong suit, and she supposed working and studying as a mechanic contributed to that, but it was still tedious and repetitive work. Eva Wei would much rather not do outlandishly convoluted math problems, and a holocam-call gave her the perfect opportunity to procrastinate.  

She already knew who it was – there was only one person off Earth who she talked to on a regular basis, only one who had the code to contact her and the expenses to do such a long-distance call. It had taken Prince Aikka exactly one year and nine months to get a hold of Eva after she and the rest of the Earth team went home, following the great race of Ōban. He explained that the state of affairs on his planet had needed a great amount of attention as soon as he and his mentor returned from the race. He’d had to get the interstellar-holocam imported, too, because on Nourasia there were little such advanced communication systems.

Luckily, finding Eva hadn’t been nearly as much of a hassle as all the rest – despite the race of Ōban being a complete secret to everyone on Earth, Don Wei was still very famous in a many circles, both for his management of racing teams and the old cloud of information and media coverage regarding the death of Eva’s mother, Maya, twelve years ago. Even off of Earth, he was somewhat known.

Eva, still sitting, quickly opened the holocam and accepted the transmission signal. She leaned over in her chair to flick the light on so it wasn’t just her reading lamp supplying light. It was late and her father was still out, so there would be no worries about him barging in and embarrassing her during the call, as he had done _way_ too many times before.

Eva waited for the scanner to read her image and confirm that the Prince’s message was reaching the right person. She sat up straight and fidgeted a bit with the seat of her chair. She still remembered the first call she’d ever received from Aikka – she hadn’t known who it was, and had been so beyond surprised upon seeing his face appear before her. It had already been more than a year since the race… by then, sometimes, it felt like everything that happened had all been a dream.

But Aikka wasn’t a dream, and Eva was always so glad to see him. Maybe a little more than she cared to admit, sometimes.

A small ‘ding’ alerted Eva that the reading was done. Another light, turquoise, was projected in front of her, and a digital holographic image of Aikka, Prince of Nourasia, soon appeared.

“Greetings, Miss Wei.” His voice was a bit static-y, a small technicality that Eva greatly disliked, as it did no justice for the true quality of his voice. He was smiling, eyes bright and happy even through a trillion light-years of space between them, even as digital pixels, and Eva’s heart skipped a beat and she couldn’t help the toothy smile she supplied him.

“Hello, Prince. I thought I told you not to call me that,” Eva replied playfully. Aikka chuckled, his smile growing a little wider. He seemed to be in especially good spirits today.

“Yes, yes, of course. I suppose it slipped my mind. How have you been, Molly?” He knew her real name now, but when she’d told him it was fine to still call her Molly, he’d chosen to keep using the title. Eva didn’t mind – she did still like it, as a nickname. And it sounded so nice when he was the one saying it…

“I’ve been okay I guess,” Eva said, stretching her arms up over her, rolling her wrists, still a bit achy from all the writing she’d done tonight. “I’m almost done with school! Just a few more months and I’m free!”

“How wonderful! So you won’t be doing anything important once you’ve completed…” He paused, eyebrows creasing just slightly in thought. “High school, correct?”

“Yup! And I dunno. Dad says I have plenty of talent and money or whatever, he can help me get into any college I want. But I’m not sure I wanna go.” Eva crossed her arms and huffed a bit. “He’s really pushing for it, but I wanna get to work right away, not sit through another four years of lectures and essays and things that I don’t need! I’m good enough to be a mechanic now! And I still love to fly, I could do that too! You don’t need a college education to fly,” Eva mumbled.

“Indeed you do not,” Aikka agreed. The people of Nourasia didn’t have the same sort of academic system kids on Earth did – they had a planet-wide ‘curriculum’, mostly having to do with their culture and history, and anything else like math or reading or the arts was taught to anyone who was distinctly interested in it. Schools in an Earthly sense only existed to teach specific crafts or basic military skills to those who sought them – Nourasian children were home-schooled, basically, taught things by their parents or community as a whole. Eva thought that the Nourasian way of doing things was _totally_ better than 17+ years of forced education. “And thankfully so. I called so I could tell you personally how excited I am to see you at the race!”

“Huh?”

“When I heard that my planet was going to be the host this year, I almost could not believe it! It has been so long since we last saw each other…” Aikka paused, finally noticing the look of total cluelessness on Eva’s face. “Wait, have you not heard yet?”

“Heard what, Aikka? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eva said, leaning forward a bit. Aikka sounded so excited, and he hardly ever got so loud.

“The interplanetary racing Championship is this year, Eva,” Aikka said coolly, still smiling a bit. “They announced the host planet is going to be Nourasia. I am excited to see you come and race; I’ll finally have the opportunity to show you my kingdom!”

Eva blinked, then leaned back in her chair, thinking. How could she have possibly forgotten that the interplanetary racing Championship was this year? But, even if that was the case, why did… “Why do you think I’ll be there?” Eva asked.

Aikka’s smile immediately faltered, and turned into a confused frown. “Why would you not be there? I understand your father has not been very supportive of your ambitions to rejoin his team, but I believed he would still choose you to be his sponsor pilot when competing in the Championship.”

Eva jumped out of her chair, nearly running into Aikka’s holographic image. “Dad and his team is going to be competing?”

“Why yes, all of the teams have been announced along with the location,” Aikka responded. He was looking more and more concerned. “Molly, I apologize for having startled you, but are you saying you weren’t aware of any of this? I’d thought you’d know, at least, that your father was going to be coming with a team as sponsors and ambassadors of Earth.”

Eva clenched her fists and growled, “No, I did _not_ know. He hasn’t mentioned a single thing about it.”

“Oh dear,” Aikka sighed. “It was probably his wish that you not be informed, then.”

“I don’t care about his _wishes,_ ” Eva said. She felt like she might be whining, but didn’t care. This was _so_ unfair!  “I can’t believe Dad wouldn’t tell me he was going to go flying off to the Championship! Well…” Eva chuckled bitterly and shrugged. “I guess I can believe it a little. But still! If he thinks he’s gonna get away with this…”

Aikka held up his hands, frowning, and said, “Eva, now, don’t do anything too rash. The race doesn’t start for another month or so by your time, and I predict the Earth team won’t have to leave for Nourasia for at least another week. Perhaps you should simply confront him about this? Even if he will not allow you to be a pilot in the race, he may still allow you to accompany him on the trip.”

“Oh, I hope so!” Eva said, definitely sounding whiny now. She gave Aikka an affectionate smile. “I’d really love to see you again.”

Aikka smiled back, bowing slightly, something he knew Eva found much too formal (but still loved, when he did it for her). “The feeling is mutual. I hope your father will allow you to come see me and my kingdom. I have much I wish to show you, and I long to spend some time with you again; facing less… intense circumstances.”

Eva grinned, holding up her fist, and Aikka’s projection did the same. Their knuckles touched, through specs of data and long frontiers of space, and the two shared a similar breath in that moment of time.

They’d be seeing each other again very soon. Eva could feel it.


	2. The Visitor

Eva put together a plan before she woke up the next morning, and began initiating it as soon as she was let out of class. The bell rang shrilly, and with a quick wave and goodbye to an acquaintance (only acquaintances, Eva still had issues making very close friends) and bolted out of her classroom.

Eva originally planned on confronting her dad as soon as he picked her up – she was too excited to wait, and too angry, and she wanted to get on him right away about keeping such important information from her. But just as Eva exited the school and started down the steps, she got a text from Don Wei himself. It read, simply: ‘Will be late, can’t pick you up. Sorry, sweetie. Lots to do’

A smile found its way on Eva’s face as her eyes glanced over the pet name. He’d gotten better at talking to her more casually, and despite the formal voice of the text, she knew better. Don Wei had changed a lot since their return from Ōban, becoming a better race manager and a pretty decent dad, but if he was at work and in the thick of it? He almost seemed just like his old, bossy self. Eva chuckled at the fact, but then forced herself to stop. She wasn’t supposed to be laughing, she was too angry to be laughing!

Eva had just settled on the idea of walking to his work and catching Don Wei off guard when her phone vibrated again. The second text read: ‘Surprise for you at home. Someone waiting to see you’

A few minutes passed, but Eva couldn’t think of who Don Wei was talking about. Who could possibly be waiting for her at their house? The curiosity was already beginning to overwhelm Eva, and she sighed in utter aggravation as her feet started off down the other road, towards her house. It would only be about a twenty minute walk, better than the almost-hour it would have taken to get to Don Wei’s work, but still, she was annoyed that she couldn’t talk to him right away. Eva decided as soon as he got home, then, she’d confront him. But for now she just wanted to know what surprise he’d alluded to in the text.

The walk home from school was always nice. Eva preferred to be picked up by her dad – it was one of the few times they had a lot of one-on-one time, without either of them dealing with work or school stuff to distract them. But the air on this walk was nice, the road Eva walked along being made of hard-packed dirt rather than asphalt, so there wasn’t a sour smell that accompanied it. The area was almost rural, full of ferns and bushes and small trees, a healthy green stretching all around Eva, with dots of flowers being the only patches of color otherwise. Eva loved it, mostly because it reminded her of Alwas, the planet hosting one sect of the preliminary rounds for the great race of Ōban. That planet had been so natural and beautiful, and Eva missed it dearly sometimes, despite all the trouble she’d faced while staying there.

Eva soon arrived at the house. It was not the same building she and her father lived before Maya’s death – Eva had chosen this spot for its seclusion and natural surroundings, and its close proximity to her mother’s grave, only about forty minutes away. The old house had been in a much more industrial area, but Don Wei agreed a smaller building out of the way of most prying eyes was much preferable after all that had happened.

It was quiet and pleasant here, smelling densely of flowers and wet grass, dark sweetness and dusty light. Eva quickly sped up the cobblestone driveway, hopping on stones that cut through the small flower garden in front of the porch. She pull a key out from one pocket and went to unlock the door, but found it was already open. Eva hesitated, growing a bit stiff, before she remembered her father’s text. Someone was waiting for her, right? Hopefully someone friendly. Eva opened the door and held the key in her hand just in case, the teeth peeking out from between her fore and index fingers.

It was dark at the doorway, but light and noise seeped from the kitchen, just a little ways down, past the living room. “Hello? Who’s there?”

“Hey, little mouse,” came a voice, one Eva immediately recognized. Her tense glare was instantly overcome by a bright grin, and she hurriedly ran into the house and turned the corner to see Rick Thunderbolt. “How’s school treatin’ ya? Better than it did for me, I hope.”

“Rick!” Eva dropped her bags and threw her keys onto the counter, immediately leaping at Rick and grabbing him by the torso. He was still more than a head taller than her, despite two and a half years of growing on her part. Her crown still barely reached his chin. It wasn’t her fault he was such an annoyingly big man. “What are you doing here? I’m so happy to see you!”

Eva felt one strong arm wrap around her head, and Rick nuzzled the top of her head, chuckling. “It’s great to see you too, little mouse,” he said. When he pulled back, he inspected her and added, “Although, you’re really not so little any more, are you?”

Eva blushed, pulling away slightly. She noticed now Rick’s other arm was occupied, the hand holding a long spoon that stirred noodles in a pot. The water was warm, boiling, and Eva giggled. “What are you making?”

“You father oh so politely requested I meet you and make us lunch,” Rick said simply. He and Don Wei still had something of a strained relationship, but got along way better than when the Earth team first came home. He’d taken his time contacting the Wei family; he’d been figuring things out still, he’d said, and wasn’t sure if he could handle seeing everyone so soon. Almost an entire year went by before Eva saw Rick again.

He was still his same old self, for the most part: tattooed, big-muscled, his ego teetering on that edge of almost-narcissism, although that aspect of his personality had taken a pretty big punch with the diagnosis of his neural condition. Rick told Eva early after they reunited he’d been doing a lot of ‘soul-searching’ (he always winced whenever he used such mushy terms for stuff, he hated talking about his feelings a lot with anyone who wasn’t Eva, to be frank) when he’d come home to Earth. It was hard readjusting to a world who’d only ever recognized him as something he could no longer be. Plenty of people he would have once called close friends turned their backs on the new Rick Thunderbolt, the Rick who was no longer a racer. Though he never mentioned the possibility, even know, Eva knew he must have suffered with some amount of depression all that time.

Things were better now, though. Rick was always pretty vague about some aspects of his ‘road to recovery’ but evidently he traveled some with the money he still had from his old racing career, and did some deep thinking. Then he went off in search of a new way to spend his time and make money. He discovered he had an uncanny talent with cooking and baking. It was in no way the sort of future career Rick Thunderbolt would have prescribed himself, but if he was good at it and he made money from it (and he enjoyed it more than he let on, Eva knew) then there was no reason in denying it.

It still struck Eva as a little funny, though, to see Rick working in the kitchen. He’d gone from a high speed racer to a high speed chef, and he was great at it too, which was the best part. Eva absolutely loved when he came and cooked for her and Don Wei.

“What are you making us?” she asked, hands sliding back around his waist as she looked at the noodles. His arm was still rested on her shoulders, and Eva enjoyed the warmth of him against her. She used to have a teeny-tiny crush on Rick when she was still fifteen, but now she saw him as more of a big brother, and enjoyed his presence a lot. Don Wei was much more personal, but still had some issues with being touched too much, and Eva enjoyed hugs and physical contact from others a lot.

“Shrimp alfredo. It’s good, you’ll like it.” Rick left the noodles and his hand drifted over to another pot Eva hadn’t noticed, one full of thick white sauce that smelled delicious. He stirred it a bit, then adjusted the temperature of the oven. He smiled, ruffling Eva’s hair before pulling away, pushing her gently back as he took the pot with the noodles and headed towards the sink to drain them. “Why don’t you set some plates at the table?”

“Yes sir,” Eva said, saluting him playfully before doing as he’d asked. As she fixed the plates and silverware and glasses, she remembered what had been occupying her mind almost all day before seeing Rick. “Hey Rick, did you know Dad was going to be going to the interplanetary racing Championship on Nourasia as our ambassador?”

“Did they already announce all that stuff?” Rick turned around, looking at Eva through a square hole that looked into the dining room. “Well, can’t say I’m surprised they chose him. Don Wei’s still number one racing manager on Earth, even after Ōban. I’m surprised he accepted, though.”

Eva tilted her head at Rick, leaning her hip against the table. “What do you mean?”

“The government chooses who they want to represent them in the Championship,” Rick explained, putting shrimp into the pot with the sauce and mixing it up. “If the first choice would rather not represent their planet, the honor goes onto the second choice and so on and so forth. I’m just surprised your old man didn’t immediately tell whoever’s in charge of that decision to shove it.”

Eva giggled at the very thought of her dad saying something so uncouth. “He would never! But yeah, I was surprised too, when Aikka told me he was taking a team to Nourasia and representing Earth in the races!”

“Oh, so that’s how you found out about all this,” Rick said, smirking at Eva. The girl blushed and crossed her arms at him.

“Yeah, so what? Aikka called me ‘cause he thought I was going to be acting as pilot for my dad.”

Rick scoffed. “As if.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eva said, exasperated. As Rick brought in a bowl of the shrimp and noodles, she sat down and said, her face forlorn, “Do you ever think he’ll let me race for him again?”

“I wouldn’t count on it, little mouse,” Rick said, piling a healthy serving onto her plate. The shrimp and noodles looked absolutely divine, coated in a layer of thick, fragrant sauce. Eva licked her lips and almost immediately dove in, slurping up the food. Rick sat down and twirled a fork-full for himself, still speaking. “You know how your old man can be. He’s still worried about having his little girl race.”

“I’m not his little girl anymore!” Eva said around a mouthful of shrimp. She quickly chewed and swallowed, adding, “Well I mean, I’m not helpless is what I meant! Racing on Earth wouldn’t be anything like racing on Alwas or Ōban – why can’t he seem to understand that?” Eva then sighed, pushing her food around. “Does he not think I’m _good_ enough? I know I’ve never had any _proper_ training-“

“Hey!” Rick objected, pretending to sound offended.

Eva laughed. “Oh, sorry! I almost forgot you were the one who made me into a half-decent pilot in the first place!”

“You were already half-decent,” Rick told her. “I just made you good enough to stand a chance against some big-shots. Gave you some of the old Thunderbolt flare, huh?”

“Oh _yeah_ , that’s totally what helped me win those races,” Eva teased. “Rick’s ego rubbing off on me.”

Rick finished chewing a bite of their lunch before he spoke up again. “You dad knows you’re a great racer, Eva. It’s not because he think you can’t manage that he keeps you from racing now. He just wants you to get a good education and to be safe – you know, everything he couldn’t give you as a kid.”

“Yeah, I know, but-“

“And it’s hard for him still, little mouse,” Rick added, his voice somber. “It must have been hard enough letting you continue to race once he realized who you were. It was probably an awful feeling when he thought he was gonna lose you forever, when he had to let you accept responsibilities as the new Avatar or whatever. Now he has you home, safe and sound, with him, and to him all you want to do is put yourself into more danger. Personally, I think he’s overreacting and that he’s an idiot for letting such a great pilot go wasted.” Rick paused, Eva watching him as she quietly continued to eat, eyes wide from his compliments. “But I understand why he’s so reluctant. Racing is dangerous any way you slice it, kiddo.”

“But he can’t keep me out of a racer forever!” Eva pointed out, jabbing her fork at Rick. “I’d _much rather_ prefer to work for my dad, but if he doesn’t let me, I can still become sponsored by other racing managers and companies. He can’t keep me from doing what I love.” Eva sighed again, rolling up the last of her noodles. “I just wish he understood that! And I mean, I don’t even want to race in the Championship as much as I just want to go to Nourasia!”

“To see your friend, right? The prince?”

Eva nodded sullenly. “Mm hmm. He’s always wanted to show me his planet, and to be honest I’m positively aching to do something! And I want to see him again! This may be my only chance in a really long time…”

Rick paused, and for a little while it was quiet. Eva grabbed another helping of food, Rick getting about twice as much as she, and for a few minutes they both ate in contemplative silence. Finally, Rick said, “Well, there’s no point in not asking. Don Wei’s uptight but he’s not totally heartless – not anymore, anyway. I’m sure if you beg enough he’ll cave and let you come with him.”

“You really think so Rick?”

“Of course, little mouse. You have a talent for getting what you want,” said Rick. He grinned at Eva, and she could see her reflection in the dark surface of his shades – she looked confident and happy, and Eva realized she felt it now, the hopefulness building up inside her. 


	3. Compromise

“Absolutely not, young lady!”

Eva growled and crossed her arms, angrily deflating into the couch. “But _Dad-_ “

“How did you even find out about this?” Don Wei, who had been sitting down and removing his shoes only seconds before, was now on his feet, pacing back and forth before Eva in their living room, one shoe and sock removed, one foot fully clad.

Eva’s rage flared at that; she shot up off the couch and demanded, “How did _you_ even _think_ you could keep something like this from me? What did you plan to do when you had to leave?”

Don Wei put his hands on his hips, sighing heavily as his eyes hit the floor. “I was going to tell you…” he began. Then, after a pause, “I would have told you soon. I’m no fool, I knew I couldn’t keep it from my inquisitive daughter for too long. And how resourceful you are, finding out about such things all on your own.” Another hesitation, then he asked, his voice sharp, “Was Rick the one who mentioned all this to you?”

Eva rolled her eyes. “No, he didn’t. He didn’t even know about this.”

“Then how did you-”

“Aikka told me,” Eva spat before she could think. “He wanted to congratulate me, because he thought you might be decent enough to let me work as your pilot. Shows how little he really knows you.”

“Don’t take that tone of voice with me, young lady,” Don growled softly. He was getting tired of this fast, Eva could tell in the way his posture loosened and the fingers of his right hand kept rising to rub his eyes. Actually, the exhaustion he displayed now wasn’t just that of exasperation with Eva’s arguing with him – he’d been at work until ten, not arriving until a few minutes ago, past eleven. Eva felt a bit sorry for jumping on him almost the second he’d wished her good evening, but her anger had gotten the best of her, and Rick’s encouragement to confront her dad had spurred her on with new resolve. Now, though, she took in the fact he was almost fatigue personified. He looked like all he wanted in the world, now, was a chance to get to his bed.

But Eva knew better than to let an opportunity like this pass – if she let up now, she’d be giving up, and there’d be absolutely no way for her to convince him to let her come along on the trip.

While Eva was pondering all this, Don Wei had realized something. “Aikka? Prince Aikka of Nourasia contacted you?”

Eva rolled her eyes. “You know the two of us talk on the holocam, Dad.”

“Yes, yes, of course…” Gosh, he really was tired. Eva watched as her father paced a bit more. One hand was rested on his chin, the other brushing the armchair whenever he passed it. He wanted to sit down, rest, sleep, and Eva started feeling worse, felt like an annoying kid bugging her overworked dad for a piece of candy. But this was important, and it was something she really wanted, and if he’d _just_ say _yes_ already, then everything would be fine!

“Listen, Dad, I get that you won’t let me race. Whatever, okay? But can’t I still come with you to Nourasia? Please? Please?” Eva didn’t mind begging, and she clenched her hands before her father, putting on her best ‘don’t you love me?’ face. “Maybe I can work as your mechanic if they won’t let you take civilians? Yeah!” Eva snapped her finger, a grin spreading on her face. “I’ll come as your mechanic! You can just say I’m going to school for it and you decided it’d be beneficial for your beautiful, talented, amazing daughter to come with you on the trip and get some real experience in the field!”

“What about school?” Don asked. He finally sat down, but only on the arm of the chair, not allowing himself to be tempted by the soft leather cushions. Eva blinked and her smile faded. School? What was school?

She racked her brain for an answer. There was no way, no way, her father would let her miss an entire month of school. Why hadn’t she thought of this issue before? Was it because…?

Then Eva remembered, and she was able to reclaim her victorious grin. “Christmas break starts the week after next,” she said. “I can… I can get all the work I need and do it before we leave! So that I won’t fall behind.”

“We’re leaving in six days,” Don Wei said. “That’s nearly two weeks of work you’ll have to do, not just one. And then we won’t get back before your break ends, Eva.”

Eva felt herself begin to sweat. Two weeks of work in only six days? Six days of already having to do work for school, and if she went, of getting things set up and registering for things and packing for interstellar travel?

The young girl’s blood ran cold at the thought. But she gulped, trying her best to keep a shaky smile on. “I can do that. Sure. I’ll do it.”

Don Wei’s surprise was not evident on his face, but Eva could imagine it – she was _not_ quiet about her distaste for schoolwork. Her father sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head, rubbing his forehead. “You really want to come, don’t you?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Eva said quietly. She felt silly for calling him ‘daddy’ but knew he had a super soft spot for the name – it reminded him of when she was younger, when that was all she’d ever called him. Again, Eva felt awful for manipulating him like this, when he was overworked and exhausted and all he wanted to do was make her happy and then go to bed. But she was so close, she could taste it now-

“Alright! Fine, fine.” Don Wei let out one last, slightly exaggerated sigh, then gave Eva a bittersweet smile. “You can come.”

“Yes!”

“But!”

“Aw man,” Eva pouted, not liking her father’s tone.

“I want you to talk to all of your teachers about this,” he explained, standing straight now, arms on his hips. He looked like work, now, and Eva couldn’t help but stand up straighter herself, like when he was still her boss. “I’ll contact the school and inform them of your extended absence following Christmas break, and have them assist you in supplying you with everything you’ll need to make up.”

“Yes sir.”

“You will do all the work before we leave.”

“Yes sir.”

“And I expect your usual proficiency, working on my team now. Keep things professional when we’re in public – it’ll be scandal enough, letting my daughter work on the team,” he muttered, annoyed already with the thought.

“Will Stan and Koji be working with us?” Eva asked. The boys were still decent friends of hers, though they had gone back for working with that old crackpot engineer who was basically hopeless without them.

“I haven’t assembled the full team yet, but I don’t think so,” Don said. “I’ll be taking two more mechanics with me, along with one pilot and two extra hands on deck. I already have the pilot and I’m interviewing one of the mechanics tomorrow. I suppose this is something of a blessing in disguise.” Don shook his head, and cracked the smallest smile, making Eva’s heart much lighter. “I’ll be honest with you, finding three able-bodied mechanics among the ones working with me now would have been torture. Half of them are nearly useless with anything really important, and the other half I can’t stand.”

Eva chuckled. “They’re probably just intimidated by you.”

“I’m not intimidating,” Don Wei said, almost sounding like he believed it, but then he smiled again. He sighed, carefully opening his arms towards Eva – the girl happily walked around the coffee table and hugged him tightly, more roughly than he’d been expecting.

“Thank you Dad!” Eva said. She kissed his cheek, then, feeling a bit embarrassed and thinking he must also be flustered by her affection, she stepped away and headed to her bedroom. “I won’t disappoint you! I’ll work hard, I promise! You won’t regret this!”

“Yeah, alright,” Don said. He listened to the door of Eva’s room close, then collapsed on the couch. But he couldn’t rest now, not quite yet, though his entire frame felt like a deflated balloon. No, he needed to make a call or two first. Don Wei pulled out his cellular and flicked it open, scrolling through contacts, looking for one that no longer seemed familiar.

He pressed dial and pursed his lips, bringing it up to his ear. Oh yes, fine, he’d let Eva come with him on the trip. But he wasn’t about to be caught off guard that easily without fighting back.

Don Wei did not want his daughter coming on this trip. He didn’t like the idea of her racing, and he didn’t like the idea of her being anywhere near an event so permanently stained with the memory of her mother, his wife, dearest Maya, and her tragic death. Don Wei hadn’t even wanted to enter the competition in the first place – he’d refused, almost immediately, when they tried to inform him he was chosen to represent earth in the Championship again.

But things were fragile, now, and the interplanetary racing Championship came to represent much more than it had that first year it was employed, when it was hosted on Earth. If it were being hosted anywhere else, Don Wei might have gotten away with rejecting the invitation, with someone else acting as ambassador, but it was not an option at the moment.

Yes, things were very fragile now, delicate, between the interplanetary nations. The Crogs have retreated, pushed far back into the corners of this galaxy where they belonged. After Jordan was crowned Avatar, the energy sent out a pulse wave so enormous it disrupted nearly all interstellar ship equipment. Those fighting on the boarders of Earth’s atmosphere had been caught in a standstill, one later claimed to have been a peaceful surrender and retreat on both sides. Thanks to Jordan (Don Wei did not believe the incident was merely good luck, and whenever he remembered, he thanked Jordan dearly for what he’d done as his first act of Avatar) Earth was not at the mercy of the Crogs, not anymore. And any planet being invaded by ground troops at the time had an upper hand, for Crogs were superior if only with their technology, powered by electricity rather than magic. Nations like Nourasia had an easy time fighting off the near-defenseless troops from their planets, while others of matching or superior strength merely gained enough of an upper hand to forcibly remove the invaders. The backlash was too much and too sudden for the Crogs, who had not been expecting even a sliver of a chance of a collective rebellion to their conquest.

But that didn’t mean things were all better. Earth and Nourasia had a notoriously bad relationship – with Nourasia having been subject to the whim of the Crog’s for so long, they’d gained a very bad reputation on Earth for being powerless, being seen as ‘lapdogs’ to the enemy. Now that they were free, however, and thriving quickly after removing the Crog disease from their planet, Earth eagerly wanted to establish a sort of friendly alliance with Nourasia again. They would be very good allies, Don knew – everyone knew. They were loyal, strong, a people dedicated to ideals of honor and peace; yet, their planet was big and equal enough to Earth there would be no worry of either side attempting treason, or invading the other.

The government wanted Don Wei, the world-renowned racing manager, to represent Earth. They knew Don Wei would not allow foolish or unsightly mistakes, would present the Earth team in a respectable way that would not seem arrogant, stern but not unfriendly, professional without being too cold. Things had changed a lot since Don Wei, Eva, and the others returned from Ōban, including the racing manager’s behavior, his treatment of those working for and with him. People called him kind, now. They all wondered what had caused this change.

Of course, that was something too. No one besides the most important people on Earth knew about the race of Ōban, and even fewer knew who exactly was involved. Whoever was in charge of picking the participants of the Championships must know Don Wei had experienced intense interplanetary racing before, that he’d now dealt almost exclusively with aliens and was comfortable engaging in their cultures. They would also know that, technically, Eva (or Molly, at the time) had one the great race and assisted in helping to stop the Crog invasion.

“They must believe we can perform miracles, now…” Don Wei sighed quietly to himself. The call wasn’t going through. The house was well fortified, and while the internet worked magnificently, it was a bit difficult for regular telephone signals to get through. Don Wei got up from the couch with reluctant movements, and walked outside through the sliding glass door, into the wide backyard. He stepped out under the stars, an endless stretch of black and blue above him, and he pressed the contact again.

 Don Wei held the phone up to his ear and waited, closing his eyes, and dreamed of a good night’s sleep. 


	4. Departure

The next few days had to be some of the most difficult, aggravating, tiresome of Eva’s young life. She could not recall ever having spent so much energy on getting work done before, and she could almost feel the molten mess of her once functional brain oozing out from her ears. So much math. So many equations, so little time. Essays everywhere. Eva never wanted to _contemplate_ writing another thesis ever again.

                But Eva did it, got it all done, every scrap of paper her professors shoved at her a few days ago, she’d been able to shove right back. And she felt proud of herself for doing so. Don Wei wasn’t shy about expressing his admiration for her work ethic, but this did mean he had to let her come on the trip, and on that subject he was a little grumpier. So, basically, it had turned out perfectly for Eva.

                A few nights before they left, Eva contacted Aikka and let him know she would be coming as an assisting mechanic. The Nourasian was just as delighted with the turnout as Eva was, and repeatedly expressed just how happy he was to be seeing Eva again. It was with a gentle blush Eva ended the transmission, being left to her packing as well as her thoughts.

                She’d been so excited with the mere idea of seeing Prince Aikka again, she hadn’t given the actual encounter much thought. What would it be like, going to see his planet? The planet of which he was prince, the future ruler? Would he be treated like royalty here on Earth, or were things done very differently on that planet? Eva believed things must be very different – an Earth prince would never be allowed to go on such a racing competition as Ōban, no matter how high an honor, nor would he be expected to. Of course, it wasn’t like there were princes or kings or queens nowadays on Earth, but Eva couldn’t see anyone of a similar position as Aikka being so… experienced on a planet like her own.

                Eva packed and tried to remember all she knew about Nourasians. She remembered Aikka’s sense of honor, his skills with archery and close combat, his style of dress and G’daar, his flying beetle and close companion. Where most Nourasians like him? Did they all fight, all have flying beetles, and all use magic?

                She was tempted to check online, but thought better of it right away. Nourasians weren’t seen in a very positive light on Earth. Eva wouldn’t be at all surprised if most of the information was false or intentionally corrupted to make them look bad.

                Well, it would be a fun surprise if nothing else, Eva decided, shrugging off her worries. She knew the planet would be diplomatic for the sake of the championship at least, but Eva had no doubt Aikka would also do his best to be a pleasant host to everyone, especially his friends. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about other than the trip itself.

                Eva packed, and every once in a while stopped to sigh or giggle, almost unable to believe her good luck. This was going to be such an amazing trip.

…

Apparently, someone decided this would be a very, very tiring trip.

Getting ready to leave for the championships was way more trouble than Eva had expected, and most of it she found unnecessary. Someone from the government actually came to the Wei residence to talk to her father in person before they were allowed to head off. Eva wasn’t able to eavesdrop and for once thought it best to stay out of Don Wei’s business – beyond fixing ships and seeing Aikka, she didn’t want to be involved any more than she had to.

After the secret discussion, Eva and Don Wei were driven to a little rendezvous point where the other members of their little team were to meet.

The diner was small, but not too much so, having enough inside and outside space to sustain a large enough crowd. It was placed just inside of town near a long stretch of road leading off, to the interstellar space station, Eva predicted. It would be about an hour-long drive before they got to the station, and Don Wei wanted everyone in the same truck to get there. Wasted less gas, he said, and time.

Eva was extremely surprised to see Stan and Koji sitting at the diner before they arrived. The two boys were very familiar, sitting with a third person outside of the diner, eating a late breakfast. The man in black stopped the car, and Don helped Eva out. Koji was the first to spot her; he waved and smiled brightly, calling over Stan’s shoulder, “Hey Molly!”

“Hey guys!” Eva ran over to them, and grinned at Stan as the tan male twisted in his seat to meet her. He had ketchup dripping from one corner of his mouth, courtesy of a fork full of hash browns. Eva laughed as Koji sighed, and spoke while the Koji leaned over to wipe the red condiment from Stan’s cheek with a napkin. “It’s really great to see you too! I didn’t think you’d be coming.”

“Change of plans,” Don answered behind her, arms folded, back straight. He was in his business mode, dressed and ready to do what had been his job for years. “The two mechanics I originally chose for the jobs proved to be inadequate-“

“ _Incompetent_ was the word he used before,” Stan said slyly, smiling under his fork. Koji chuckled nervously, but surprisingly, it was the unknown woman who spoke next.

“I thought it would be wise to reassign the duties to some more experienced choices. It took a bit of… persuading to let their boss release the boys, but these two seemed more than willing to accept the offer themselves.”

Eva pulled up a chair, inspecting the new woman. She looked tall, though she was sitting, with beautifully cut hair that hung just past her ears. Lightly tan, with sharp glasses and dazzling grey-green eyes, she was a very pretty lady, Eva thought, though she dressed like an uptight secretary. Not to say she didn’t wear the black pencil skirt and white blazer well.

She adjusted her glasses with one carefully manicured finger, dazzling red nails suddenly reaching out towards Eva. It took the young girl a second to realize she was being offered a handshake. “Uh, hi! I’m Eva…”

“It’s a pleasure to meet Don Wei’s daughter,” said the woman, somewhat dryly. She shook Eva’s hand and then rested it back on the handle of her coffee mug. “You should address me as Miss Vivian. I’ll be acting as an assistant for your father.”

“Yes, Eva, its good you get acquainted with our new… co-worker.” Don Wei stood behind her chair, and even thought she wasn’t looking at his face, Eva could hear the edge on her father’s voice. “She was assigned to accompany us by the IPC. Miss Cheri Vivian will be detailing our progress in the championships, help in keeping to schedule, and she has been ordered to report back to the IPC department headquarters on a regular basis."

Eva racked her brain, but couldn’t find a name for the acronym. “IPC?”

The woman – Vivian – answered first. “Intergalactic Peacekeeping Committee. Our department I in charge of ambassadors, interstellar news distribution, extraterrestrial cultural practices on Earth, and the defense of alien rights on our soil.”

“Oh.” Eva nodded, not sure of how she felt by all that. They sounded like good enough guys, but Don Wei seemed tense and perhaps bitter about Miss Vivian’s assignment to their party.

Koji broke into the discussion, smiling easily through the budding air of tension. “It’s gonna be great working with you guys again, really! Don’t tell Mister Miguel, but it gets kinda boring at that place.”

Stan pretended to look aghast. “Koji, I can’t believe you! Talking behind our dear beloved boss like that when he’s not around to defend his cranky old self. I’ll make sure to tell him your true feelings…”

“Ah, please don’t!” Koji fretted, looking genuinely distressed. Eva laughed at the two as Stan continued to tease his close friend and partner. A strange feeling came over her then, suddenly, but she didn’t have time to figure it out – only a second later, another car drove up.

It was unfamiliar, but the man who slid out of it was not. Eva had seen him once or twice in person, from a distance while visiting her dad at work. Sometimes she’d caught his races on television, watching as the public’s favorite new ‘speed junky’ continuously took first place time and time again. And now, as he slipped out of the slick black, expensive looking vehicle, Eva felt within her an itch, the same emotion that arose every time she saw Sasha Bullet’s face – annoyance.

He was tall, with a square jaw and scruff blond hair, cut haphazardly, with sideburns riding down into his goatee, the tiny hairs a darker auburn color. He had wild, deep blue eyes, the kind of eyes girls fell for at first glance – the lean muscles and freckle-dusted skin didn’t hurt his image either. Seen as a total hottie by young girls and a true ‘manly-man’ by all the guys Eva had spoken too, Sasha Bullet was practically made to be a racing star.

That’s what Don Wei turned him into, too. Only a few months once returning to Earth, Don Wei had quickly re-secured his position at work and found a new fresh face to sponsor his industry. Sasha Bullet, the racer who seemingly sped into the scene out of nowhere, practically invisible before his first race under Don Wei’s representation. Now he was a big shot, a competitor, and as far as Eva was concerned, a total jerkwad.

She was probably being harsh though, and that’s what Eva told herself as he strode towards them, bright-pink lollipop rolling between two rows of blindingly white teeth. In all honesty, Eva probably just felt jealous of his fame under her father’s name, fame she justly _deserved_ as a racer, and his daughter. He was still so hung up on keeping her ‘out of danger’, and the aversion to female racers hadn’t let up either. Eva should be the one representing her dad, working for him and showing everyone just how great a manager he was, and how great a racer she could be.

His shadow soon fell over her. With one gloved hand, he plucked the candy from his mouth and smirked down at Eva, who couldn’t help but glare up at him in return. “Hey kitty kitty. Nice to finally meet the bosses kid.”

“Oh, you haven’t met Eva yet, have you Sasha? Well, yes, this is my daughter Eva Wei. Eva, you know Sasha Bullet, don’t you?”

“Oh yes, of course,” Eva said, using her sweet voice. She stood up and shoved one outstretched and towards Sasha, staring him straight in the eyes. “Nice to meet you too, mister Bullet. It’ll be a pleasure fixing up your star racer whenever I ends up getting damaged during your races.”

One thick, immaculately shaped eyebrow rose over coffee-tinted sun shades. Sasha grinned right back though, gripping Eva’s hand firmly. She worked hard to match it. “Mmm, I bet, kitty. Can’t wait to see you in action.”

…

Their ride to the station was slightly delayed – Don Wei seemed both anxious and reluctant to go, and increasingly irritated by every moment – but it was a pleasant enough drive. Eva got to sit in the very back with Koji and Stan, talking to the men about their time back with Miguel. The two of them had been surprised to hear of their request to join the Earth team in entering the championships, but didn’t dare refuse. They’d both wanted to work with Don Wei and Eva again.

“Almost like before,” Stan whispered quietly, so Don and Miss Vivian wouldn’t overhear. “Almost got the whole team back together, huh?”

Eva nodded, but the discussion tapered off then. Stan spoke in warm whispers to Koji and left Eva to her thoughts.

The feeling she’d gotten before crept back into her stomach. It took her a little while to figure out exactly what it was, a semi-familiar sadness she’d failed to experience in a few months. The stale, but still deep hurt of regret, and loneliness in a wanting sense.

Eva didn’t think of Jordan often anymore. When first coming back to Earth, she’d been almost completely preoccupied with settling back into life with her dad, figuring things out and getting used to the changes in her life. After a few months, though, Jordan had become a constant ghost in the back of her mind. Thoughts of him both comforted and saddened her.

Never having been the romantic type, Eva had failed to notice Jordan’s true feelings before that fateful day, when Canaletto nearly became Avatar of the universe. That creature been ready to wipe out everything, but Jordan managed to save everyone, sacrifice the rest of his days to become the new Avatar, ruler and protector of all in the galaxy.

She regretted so much that she’d never noticed. It drove Eva half mad, because thinking back, she _should_ have seen it – the times he’d get flustered around her, those moments of quiet contentment between them, when he’d try to say something and she’d leave without a thought to his words. Or maybe it was she didn’t _want_ to see how he felt… Eva, even now, knew she never would have felt the exact same feeling Jordan must have felt for her. He’d started to love her somehow, wanted to… be her boyfriend or something, stuff like that. Eva never saw Jordan as anything more than a really cool, close friend she sometimes couldn’t stand. Even now, knowing everything, she couldn’t imagine feeling anything more than a deep, friendly love.

Eva couldn’t help but feel bad, feel guilty, though she knew both feelings were completely unjustified. She didn’t owe Jordan anything for liking her, and becoming the Avatar… ultimately, that had been his choice. Jordan even told Eva before she left that he’d always wanted to do something great, have a chance to prove himself and help others in a way he never thought he could as a regular human. There wasn’t any real reason for her to feel guilty.

Yet she couldn’t help it, the drops in her mood, those weeks when it was hard to keep food down, when her dreams were haunted by his ethereal image, one hand on her cheek, the other floating clear though the skin and bone of her hand. She’d lost Jordan to her own destiny. It was her fault he was gone. Her fault his family never heard from him again. Her fault that, in all likelihood, he’d never get to be loved by anyone ever again. Was he ever even loved by someone who cared just as much as he did?

Out the window, a faint drizzle began to fall, gently pattering against the window. Eva leaned against the back door and watched as dusty roads and shrubbery flew past them in blurry smears.

He wondered if he could see her. Did he know every little thing, every detail of the universe as it happened, as it would happen? The Avatar possessed inconceivable amounts of power. Perhaps he was like sunshine, always there, always giving, but sometimes obscured by dark clouds.

…

The space station was never a sight Eva got used to: immense, dark, intimidating docks holding gigantic ships waiting for long-round trips, or short, important boomerang rides. The entire area, inside and out, was crawling with heavy crowds from all over. Eva saw people of all ethnicities wearing all colors, bickering and yelling and crying and shouting in all different languages, and the disorientation of the rocking, endlessly changing ocean of unfamiliar faces made her feel nauseous. Eva hated dense crowds with all her heart. She hated the high ceilings of the station, she never found enough room for even her elbows. Don tried to comfort her, having discovered her intense dislike for such situations a year or two ago, but little could be done to lift Eva’s spirits.

That is, until she noticed someone waiting in line for the exclusive boomerang flight waiting for them, an appropriately sized ship reserved to take the Earth team. Someone who wasn’t the dark, ominous cloud of…

“Oh god, no,” Eva whined, resisting the intense urge to hid behind her dad as their small group advanced into the arms of a full-on paparazzi. Already pictures were being taken, microphones flying towards them, bulbous black insects with a thirst for blood.

No one else in the group (besides Koji, perhaps, who had taken a secure hold of Stan’s elbow) seemed bothered with the press. Don Wei advanced at an even pace, Cheri Vivian close behind him, with Eva clinging to his left side. Just before they got close enough to be properly heard by the crowd, Don leaned over and whispered sharply into Eva’s ear, “Rick. Go to him. I’ll deal with the pests.”

“Rick?” Eva gave her father a surprised, confused look, but he only nodded towards the ramp leading up towards the ship’s doorway. And then she saw him, standing there in casual clothes and a jacket, two heavy bags rested on the floor by his feet. He caught her glance and smirked briefly. One hand hidden in the depths of his coat pocket, he used the other to gesture at her, fingers beaconing for the young woman to quickly join his side.

Eva was beyond glad to have an excuse to bypass the paparazzi. She clenched her bags and dove past the rest of her crew, ignoring hands and voices as they tried to reach her. It was almost embarrassing; she must have looked desperate, basically throwing herself into Rick’s waiting hands, pushing him along to go up the ramp.

Behind them, Eva could just faintly make out the beginnings of an interview, one she knew would be televised as Earth received regular updates on the championships.

“Mister Don Wei, how does it feel to be coaching another team for the Interstellar Racing Championship?”

“It feels quite alright I suppose,” Don Wei said. His voice was friendly enough, but the way in which he spoke was crisp and curt. He didn’t want to be there and he found no joy in speaking to these people, desperate for a juicy story. “I hadn’t expected the offer to act as ambassador for Earth anytime soon.”

“Do you know much about Nourasia.”

“Not much myself. I’ve never been there, nor have I met anyone from there either.” He told that lie easily, Eva thought. She paused with Rick on one of the two landings leading up to the ship, and looked down the stairs at her dad. Stan and Koji were getting bumped and prodded behind the older man, a few assumedly armature reporters trying to get some gossip, no doubt, from employees. Vivian seemed as determined as possible not to say a word, simply standing a small ways from Don’s side at all times, one hand on her briefcase, the other hanging on her fashionable yet surprisingly practical knapsack.

Sasha Bullet, of course, was getting just as much (if not more) attention as Don Wei, totally loving all the attention the crowd threw at him. The very sight of it made Eva sick. 

One of the reporters glanced up at Eva, who flinched at the gaze, and then asked Don Wei, “Is that your daughter, sir? Miss Eva Wei?”

Some blinding lights and Eva decided enough was enough. Apparently reading her mind, Rick placed a protective hand on her shoulder and helped to guide her up the remaining stairs, two packs slung over one shoulder. Just faintly, Eva could hear her father’s voice, “…not too fond of crowds…”

Soon enough, Eva and Rick made it into the seclusion of the spaceship. It was a sleek model, big enough for a few hundred, but with a central area perfect for small, close parties. It was expensive and would able to fly to Nourasia in what seemed like a few days to them – time that would actually be a whole week back here at home. Two days max, if they had to stop at a checkpoint.

After being led into the main area of the ship, where everyone could converge and hang out if they wanted, Eva threw her bags onto the floor and didn’t hesitate in turning to hug Rick about the waist. “Rick! What the hell are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming with us!”

“I didn’t know either, little mouse,” he said, smirking, though she could catch the tinge of distaste in his voice. “Your dad called me up and made a very persuasive argument for why I should come along… something about keeping his troublesome daughter out of harm’s way? Carrying you around in one of those torso cradles overprotective, weird parents use for snot-nosed kids.”

“Har har,” Eva said. She hit him squarely on the arm, then demanded, “Really though, why did you come along?”

“I didn’t lie about your dad calling me,” he sighed. Rick gestured for her to get her bags, then led her towards the rooms they’d be sleeping in. “Said he needed one more one the crew to make it an appropriate size, said he needed someone able-bodied to do some heavy-lifting, someone who knew his stuff.” Rick nodded to Eva, leaving her standing before her door, then walked past. Without looking back, he added, “And yeah, I figured my little mouse could use some incentive to keep out of trouble.”

Eva laughed incredulously, hand on her hip. “Incentive?”

Rick didn’t say anything. He just gave her a look, head tilted enough for her to see the tops of his eyes behind the signature shades. “I’m not above spanking, if my boss tells me to do it.”

Eva gasped, then blushed and angrily ran into the taller man, hitting him with feeling this time. He only laughed at her efforts.

She might have seemed furious with him, but inside, Eva was everything but. This trip had just gotten better! Things were finally working out for her, finally falling into place, as smoothly as a star-racer gliding across the finish line.

This was going to be an amazing trip.

 


End file.
